The crowd listened silently--for in those days to behave with aught but respect to a priest was sacrilege--and one or two of the nearest put back their knives into their belts, yet stood there still irresolute.
"Come, every man to his home," said Andréa again. "Let those who have wine-shops close them, for there has been blood spilled to-night."
But they still stood there, and the murmur rose and died, and rose again like a sound carried on a gusty wind, until Andréa, pushing forward, laid his hand on the shoulder of one of the ringleaders.
"Christos," he said, "there is your home, and your wife waits for you. Go home, man, lest you are carried in feet first."
The man, directly and individually addressed by a stronger, turned and went, and the others began to melt away till there were only left in the square the Turkish soldiers and Andréa. Then he spoke to the officer again:
"I am at your disposal," he said, "until you are satisfied that things are quiet again."
The officer stood for a moment without replying. Then, "I wish to treat you with all courtesy," he said, "and you have saved me a great deal of trouble to-night. But perhaps it will be better if you stop in my quarters for an hour or two, though I think we shall have no more of this. With your permission I will give you in custody."
And with the fine manners of his race, which the Greeks for the most part could not understand and so distrusted, he beckoned to two soldiers, who led him off to the officer's quarters.
The Turkish captain remained in the square an hour longer, but the disturbance seemed to be quite over, and he followed Father Andréa.
"You will smoke or drink?" he said, laying his sword on the table.
"I neither smoke nor drink," answered Andréa.
The officer sat down, looking at him from his dark, lustreless eyes.
"It is natural you should hate us," he said, "and but for you there would have been a serious disturbance, and not Greek blood alone would have been shed. I am anxious to know why you stopped the riot."
"For the reason I gave to the rioters. Is not that sufficient?"
"Quite sufficient; it only occurred to me there might be a further reason, a further-reaching reason, so to speak. I will not detain you any longer. I am sure no further disturbance will take place."